Introduction: Hello from Wisconsin!

[picoman]

EDIT: Mods, feel free to delete this/move this to the Introduction thread sticky, I only saw that thread after creating this post.

Hi,
2006 M35X Tech. Pkg owner here from the land of cheese and Harleys. I have owned it for about 2 years now as a daily driver/winter car.

PAST: I recently sold my "fun" car, an E30 325i that I owned for 8 years. I turbocharged it, then later 24V swapped it. It was an amazingly fun car that felt like wearing a glove while piloting it, but it simply wasn't a good fit for my family and current place in life (a lot has changed in 8 years). So the BMW is gone and I just have the M35X to fulfill my automotive addiction for now. I have had a few Nissans prior including a pearl white S14, and some other boring stuff like a Versa and some Altimas (I really loved the 1994 Altima I had, but I couldnt figure out exactly why, it was a complete pile).



PRESENT:
I bought My M35x from out west because everybody hates rust.
It has 103k miles at the moment and so far I have replaced/installed:
-New spark plugs
-Upstream O2 sensors
-MAF Sensor
-Coolant flush
-LED interior lights
-LED fog lights
-Z1 Motorsport intake hose couplers
-Stillen Z-tube
-JWT Pop-charger
-Motordyne 5/16" plenum spacer
-1 ATF Drain and fill with Castrol Transmax Multi-Import
-2 ATF Drains with MATIC-S (The trans feels much better with MATIC-S, consider me a believer)
-Rear diff oil change
-Drive belts and tensioners

I had the itch to upgrade the wheels and suspension but after 8 years with a lowered/manual trans car its refreshing to have a smooth quiet ride without worrying about road hazards so I had the self control to say "No" and just try to leave the car alone and just drive it. Reliability is king

I LOVE the driving dynamics of the Nissan AWD system. I prefer it much more than the 60/40 system used on BMWs
The winter traction and car control is excellent. I do need to ditch these terrible Goodyear All-Seasons though. They are going on 7 years old with lots of tread left but are dry rotting. Their lack of grip in the rain is frightening.

The performance of the M35X is entertaining enough and is fun to drive.
The seats are very comfortable and the interior space is nice for making congested commuting as comfortable as possible.

Things I dont particularly like: I have the power steering groan while turning right (I've seen the TSB for it but haven't felt motivated to replace the rack because of the minor annoyance)
The front prop shaft makes a slight "clink" noise sometimes when shifting into drive or reverse. Ive observed that a prop shaft failure can be pretty catastrophic and take out the oil pan and trans case with it so id really like to get this handled but its not on my radar for anytime soon as im feeling lucky. The engine mounts could probably use replacing. I haven't looked into how cramped it is down there. I only know that the drivers side O2 sensor was a bear to do. I also need to change out the T.case oil and front diff oil still.

I am pleasantly surprised to see that a fair number of you dig into these cars and do things yourself since thats how I have always done it. I have never taken a car to a shop for anything other than tires, alignments, or exhaust/welding. Im getting kind of tired of working on cars so I hope the car continues to be reliable for me, but everytime i get a shop quote for something I remember why I have always done my own work.

Thanks to all who have contributed information to this forum!

[Rogue One]

[EdBwoy]

Welcome to the forum!

Here is a link that might help with the front driveshaft: drive-shaft-u-joint-replacement-t619935.html

What a glowing review for the M from someine who's owned the ultimate driving machine! I'm glad nothing major has shaken you - we don't get too many surprises. That Beemer was very beautiful. The proportions look "just right".

Big questions for a DIYer
- reliability and frequency of failure. How does your current M compare to your other cars?
- complexity and ease of reach/maintenance. How do,you find it?

[picoman]

Thanks for the link for the driveshaft!

Big questions for a DIYer
- reliability and frequency of failure. How does your current M compare to your other cars?
- complexity and ease of reach/maintenance. How do,you find it?

For me, the M35 fits the stereotypical Japanese car reliability profile. Which is great when considering it has above average levels of technology/electronics for a car of its age. I have owned a few Toyotas that absolutely did not live up to the acclaimed Toyota reliability, although I have experienced that in a few of them. So far working on the car has been pleasant. The interior pieces came apart without breaking and some of the fastening methods are brilliant/well executed. The only real gripe ive had so far besides the drivers side O2 sensor access is how stiff and stubborn the wiring harness is along the coilpacks and valve covers when trying to replace the spark plugs. Its basically an octopus with rigor mortis.

The M35X fills a gap that BMW couldnt fill for me. I wanted an E-segment sedan with some horsepower, reliability, good for winter, but has very good driving dynamics/isnt boring to drive. A BMW 530i is very solid, accelerates adequately, but isnt special enough to be worth the added BMW hassle and the 230hp would get boring quickly. The 540/545i brings on enough power (325) but doesnt have a standout reliability record, and few I see are running well past 140k. Theres the 535i and 535xi with the twin turbo inline 6 and what a stellar engine that is! This was the engine that convinced me that a turbo didnt have to be laggy and inspired me to turbocharge my old 325i. The powerband is insanely flat and the minor bolt-ons I added to a family members car turn it into a complete rocket. BUT, out of the gates you have two turbos, and boost leaks to contend with on top of typical internal combustion snafus. The BMW N54 is a sweet motor but so much as looking at it wrong sends it into limp mode. It is very normal for an N54 powered car to go into limp mode, running on what feels like 150hp, then after restarting the car, everything is back to normal for a few days/weeks/months.

BMW definitely offers a more solid feel overall and excellent driving dynamics but the big turnoffs are some of the common issues:
-ECU MOSFETS going bad (bring your wallet or your soldering iron)
-Injectors going bad, new ones are disgustingly expensive, even from a discounted source and must be coded to the ECU after replacement
-Battery replacement requires re-coding the ECU since the alternator charge rate ramps up over time and you will overcharge your new battery if you do not re-code it.
-Turbo and wastegate failures, not fun to access/replace in that packaging
-Fuel pump issues seem to have been addressed and have an extended warranty, but being direct injection, at minumum you are facing walnut blasting of the valves to remove carbon every 40-50k
-Electric waterpumps that normally die in the 40k mile range

So Infiniti has a winner for me because the VQ is a reliable, proven engine, that makes substantially more power than any NA BMW 6 cylinder. If I ever had to face an engine replacement, VQ35DEs are plentiful (still curious what the exact interchangeability is like on an M35X as far as what years and models are a direct fit minus perhaps an oil pan swap)


The biggest downside on the Nissan/Infiniti for me is probably the occasional dashboard, or rear door panel rattles, heat shield vibrations and less solid overall feeling, though, its "solid enough" and is a worthwhile tradeoff in contrast to the anxiety involved in modern out-of-warranty BMW ownership.

With that said, im still on the search for a 2011 M3 V8 DCT as a toy. Its a surprisingly reliable BMW once you address the problematic rod bearings. I've had a fair amount of seat time in them and its a logical next step unless I find that briefcase full of cash in a dark alleyway and can get into a Tesla Model S that is Until then, the Infiniti brand will be my premium sport sedan of choice

[LIBRILZ]

Your M looks similar to mine, same color but I have a spoiler, mud flaps and sport package. The Dashboard or rear panel rattles are really only to this gen of M. Every other infiniti older or newer has had a more solid feeling interior IMO, not to say the M35/45 has a bad interior, but the others felt better to me. But considering Nissan was pennypinching and under the crunch at the time it's still not bad interior IMO. Really any short comings of the car are just due to what Nissan was going through at the time, I think the products from Infiniti have gotten better since, in numerous ways

[Ilya]

lol @ "NOT A BMW"

Welcome!